Become a Beta Tester for Square Appointments

[Elyn]

Hello,

I’m Elyn, a Beta Specialist with Square’s Beta Team. Betas are tests of upcoming Square features before they’re released, to help identify areas of improvement for these new products and tools. In the Square Beta Program, the Beta Team selects testers across all types of businesses, including restaurants, retail, services, health and beauty, and more. Your feedback directly helps us build the right products with your business top of mind. The Square development process starts small and uses feedback along with other insights to plan its future.

Within the Beta Community we have a special group for Square Appointments betas. Some are big impactful changes and others are small but maybe exactly what you’ve been hoping for. We would love to have anyone join using Square Appointments and is interested in providing feedback on new features. Click the link below to request to join, you’ll receive a follow up once accepted into the group. 

Join Square Appointments Early Access

Take a look at what our Beta testers helped with so far this year!

• Multi Staff Booking
• Square Online Booking Site
• Tiered Commissions
• Appointments Point of Sale new Navigation and Checkout
• Appointments Availability - Find a time on Dashboard

Still testing or testing soon 

• Categories in Appointments Booking site
• Appointments Availability - Find a time in iOS, Android and Square Register

We’re happy to answer any questions you may have about the Beta process.

[ASPettus]

The following feature are long overdue:

- A waitlist is desperately needed. This is a feature that has been requested since at least 2016. 
- The ability to request Google reviews and follow up via editable emails and text would also be useful. Feedback only showing inside of Square is not very useful.

- Ability to archive inactive clients 

- Better reports like customer retention reports

- The option to send 1:1 coupons with a percentage off. Currently you can only send coupons for a dollar amount.

- The text opt-in for marketing should be streamlined. The client shouldn’t have to text back twice. I’ve had clients agree to the first text, but not the second. If they agree to receive marketing texts, that should be it. 
- Option for cash tips. Right now I have it as a variable item, but we should be able to add it during client checkout.

[RMConsultingLLC]

Each of the features you listed are available in Square.

1. Go to your marketing tab in the dashboard. In the top right corner click “create” campaign. At the top of the screen there is two tabs: one-time campaign and Automated. Toggle over to Automated and you will see an option for FB reviews. You can edit this email template to include a Google review request as well.

2. there is a group tag for inactive clients within your customer management settings. This allows you to create groups for marketing. Inactive is automated but you can create customized tags as well set to your business needs.

3. customer retention data is on the main page of your dashboard. It shows the last thirty days as a default but if you click that it will take you to the insights page for further exploration.

4. SMS text has very strict compliance guidelines. This is why the client must opt in from their own phone versus you adding them as you do with email marketing.

5. Reporting cash tips would be an awesome feature add!!! Great Suggestion!

[ASPettus]

Hi! Thanks for the reply, but these features are not available in the way I suggested.

1. Doesn’t this require Square Marketing? If not, there’s still not an option for automatic texts. 

2. I know you can create groups and there’s a smart group for lapsed customers  - I’m saying the option to archive would be nice so they don’t show in “all customers”. I have a beauty business and have clients from my home state that I probably won’t see again. I don’t want to delete them, but I also don’t want to see them in all customers or have to select a group every time I got to my directory. 

3. Again, I know customer retention reporting is there - I said better reporting. That report is pretty much useless and hard to read. It doesn’t give you percentages or even detailed information on who the new customers were. I’ve been using Square for a long time, so I know there are many workarounds, but actions need to be streamlined. 

4. I understand compliance - again, I said they shouldn’t have to respond to two text messages. Other companies I’ve used just send one text.

These issues have been brought up many times in the community. We know the features are there in a way, but they need to be improved.  

[RMConsultingLLC]

They are available and yes some are paid features including the advanced reporting. 

So your issue isn’t that the features don’t exist your issue is that they are paid features.

They are only workarounds if you are wishing to avoid the associated subscription fees to access the tools that save you time which result in a higher profit margin.

sorry. I was trying to be helpful but if the goal is to avoid paying subscription fees my suggestions are not that.

also, their is a waitlist feature with Square online. Which is a paid feature. 

so they have these options you just have to decide if they are worth the investment.

[ASPettus]

No, that is not my issue. I pay the subscription fee plus text marketing. I don’t have an issue with paying the fees. I used to also pay for email marketing, but it doesn’t work like I need it to, so I pay for it with another company. I appreciate your help, but the issue was your reply didn’t address my specific concerns. I am a solo provider and Square has been free for me until recently, and I gladly upgraded my subscription. I don’t have an issue with paying for anything and have been.

Also, there is not a waitlist feature for Sqaure Appointments - if there was, why is everyone requesting it, along with many of the other features I suggested. Square employees have replied on other threads and confirmed it doesn’t not exist.

Maybe you’re responding to the wrong person, but nothing I referenced was an issue with paying for a service. Again, I sincerely appreciate your suggestions, they simply didn’t address what I said specifically.

[RMConsultingLLC]

The waitlist feature was added to Square as a form option to Square Online Professional Subscription in December of 2021 it’s not connected to appointments. That could be why when asked the square team says it doesn’t exist.

The advanced reporting you’re requesting is part of the square retail subscription… which personally I don’t think is necessary but it exists.

I think the challenge is that Square often times do have the features you listed/requested just not always attached to the intuitive feature we think it should be. Like the example of waitlist feature, it would make sense to have it both on square online and appointments but currently it’s only available on square online. And the staff seem to answer the question about the feature as it is written pertaining to appointments. 

Also, square online and square POS/Appointments staff are two different teams I’ve realized. 

Another example I see all the time is intake forms. They are available on Square Online and not within the Square POS system. So if you ask a square POS team member they say no it doesn’t exist. When I’m reality it does just under the Square Online features.

My consensus with this is that square employees are not spa professionals therefore they don’t understand our workflow needs so many times myself or my clients will reach out to square and ask for a feature that the staff says doesn’t exist and then later I realize it exists just not associated to the feature I asked about. This is actually a big point of frustration I have with customer support for spa professionals. Our business language doesn’t match their business language causing misinformation/confusion. 

[ASPettus]

I realize it’s different teams and your response kind of affirms my point: your suggestions did not match what I said. I was talking about Square Appointments, you were not. I suggested an automatic email and text to be sent out to all customers after appointment completion. Your suggestion was to use Square Marketing, but that will only send emails to “customers who’ve provided positive feedback and regulars”. I previously asked in a Square appointments forum- they said it didn’t exist because it doesn’t in the way we were asking. Features that are in services I don’t use are nonsensical. The Square employees were not the ones confused. Hopefully these changes will come soon. Thanks for your response and tips!

[RMConsultingLLC]

The Automated Email post appointment for FB & Google review request is association to ALL transactions both services and retail items but only available through square marketing. The free request is for the internal Square feedback feature under customer profiles. So I’m not sure what you’re talking about when you say “customers who’ve provided positive feedback and regulars” that’s not accurate from my experience. And I manage 27 solo spa practitioners Square accounts plus my own. I literally do this for a living.

i guess that’s why I’m confused that you’re adamant they don’t exist. Because I use these features for myself and my spa clients every day with great success.

[ASPettus]

Well, for one, a waitlist for Square Appointments does not exist. Having it available in Square Online is pointless because, like you said, it doesn't link to appointments which is what we all have been talking about in this thread and many others. In regards to the emails, I just tried to set it up the “Build up your Facebook presence” template (again) the way you suggested to verify and prove my point - sending it to “clients that gave positive feedback and regulars” is the only option in Square Marketing. That verbiage came directly from inside of Square. As previously stated, I want it to go out to all clients after they complete an appointment via email and text.

 

[Elyn · Accepted solution]

Hi all! We love all of the details you're sharing here. I wanted to share a bit of insight on Square's development process. Each year Square analyzes feature requests but more importantly the business problems our sellers are trying to solve. There are other very important factors on the technical side, budget and time to develop that are weighted highly as well. With all of that considered a roadmap for the year is created.

Where does Beta fit in to all of this? When features have already been decided on, built and almost ready to release the Square Beta team receives the request to invite sellers to test. If you'd like to provide feedback on the features then, that's what the Beta Community is for.

Feature requests or more importantly the business problem you'd like to solve with Square can be shared on the Appointments Feature Request page. This helps us keep all those great details in one place and you will likely find another thread with the same request where you can share how it could specifically help your business as well.

That all said, I think you'll all be very excited about features coming to Square Appointments in 2022. When those features are ready for testing we'll be inviting sellers in the Beta Community to have first access.